The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1887-11-14
Some Anecdotes of John 1. Blair.
Froml "a Nerr York Sun.

Soon after the Delaware, Lackawanna
and Western railroad was extended over the
Pocono Mountains into the Lackawanna
valley, John |. Blair. the eccentric million
aire of Blairstown, n. j., came to Scranton
every month to pay II portion of the rail
road men. The vehicle from which he dis
tributed cash was lumber wagon, which
was drawn from one part of the road to
another by team of old plugs. Mr.. Blair
liked to circulate the bills of his Blairstown
bank as far away from home as possible
and the most of his payments were made in
his own bank notes. Whenever he ran out
of money he put board across his deep
wagon box, hauled a lot of sheets of I'M
signed bank notes out of his iron trunk, sat
down on the bottom Of the wagon and began
to make more money by placing his peculiar
autograph on the crisp notes.
Moses Taylor, who was one of the heavi-
est stockholders in the road, came to Scran,
ton frequently Nothing about the road
and the shops and mines escaped his eagle
eve, and one day he noticed Mr. Blair n ak
ing money on the board He watched tn
process for awhile and then he stepped up
to the wagon and said to Mr.. Blair:
John l., have you any idea how large a
circulation your bank has gotT'
'Guess we amt got cent more in circu-
lation than we kin redeem in specie Your
bank don't have TO ask more than once for
gold for our bills, does it, We amt turnin'
out any moren we've got the metal to back
up, are we!" squeaked Mr.. Blair, continuing
to sign
Several years ago each freight train on the
road had a crew of a conductor and three
brakemen. Mr.. Blair saw a chance toecono-
mize by taking one brakeman from each
freight train and he caused an order to be
issued to that effect. In consequence of this
the conductors were Obliged to assist in
switching cars, and before the end of the
year number of them had been injured
One shockingly profane conductor had both
legs cut off while he was making up his
train in the Scranton yard one day. He laid
the accident to Mr.. Blair after ne became
conscious, and he swore fearfuliy about Mr.
Blalr'S penuTiouSnesS up to within a few
minutes of his death, his last words to a
friend being:
Tell John |. Blair I'll meet him in HI"
AT his church in Blairstown one Sunday
Mr.. Blair placed his old-fashioned silk hat
in the end of pew next to the aisle and
went to another part Of the church to seat
people. While he was away very fat old
woman, who was not a regular attendant,
waddled in and helped herself 10 seat
without looking to see whether there was
anything in the pew or not She sat right
down on the millionaire's hat, but she was
wholly unconscious of the fact, and she
continued to sit there until Mr. Blair had
finished his duties Then he began to scare
for his plug and when be got TO the fat
woman he looked discouraged. He peered
INTO several pews in front Of her and then
he went back and asked her to rise. She did
so and there was the hat as fiat as a flapiach.
Mr.. Blair struggled with his emotions as he
held up the ruined tile, and the fat woman
was so embarrassed sine couldn't utter a
word. Looking her straight in the face and
holding the hat at arms length, Mr.. Blair
said: